A quick question...

Can anyone explain to me the 1 cent tax thing in plain language? I was reading my fiancee's absentee ballot the other day and it was so convoluted that I lost interest in trying to figure it out. Trying to make sure I know exactly what I'm voting on everything BEFORE I get to the polls so I don't hold up any lines.

I don't remember seeing anything like that on there...oh my! I know i voted for bob conley, linda kettner, and obama of course

If I remember correctly it was on the back of the first page of the ballot. There were two versions of the question. the first was state wide and the second county wide. Maybe it is just in Sumter county that they have it on the ballot.

it will be on some ballots and not others. Counties can pass a referendum and assess an extra 1% sales tax that stays with the county and doesn't go to the general fund of the state. They generally earmark the tax for some specific purpose - infrastructure upgrades, recreation facilities, etc. It is especially attractive to communities that have a good deal of tourism since it lets the outsiders help pay the local tax burden.

On edit, found this on a government web site. This is probably more than you need to know, but your option is one of the following three. Go to the Sumter Item web site and I'm sure you can find info about it:

Three types of county sales taxes are authorized under South Carolina law, and all require majority voter approval to be enacted. The most basic of these is the 1% “Local Option Sales Tax,” which has no duration limit, and is used to supplement a county’s general revenues. It has been adopted in 28 of the state’s 46 counties since it was first authorized in 1991.
The “Capital Projects Sales Tax” is also 1%, and may be adopted for specified purposes, including
highway, street, and bridge projects.9 This tax has a maximum duration of seven years, but the
ordinances enacting it generally set the tax to expire when a fixed revenue target it reached. Since this tax was first authorized in 1997, it has been adopted in six counties, including Chester, Jasper, Newberry, Orangeburg, McCormick, and York. Of these, only York County has dedicated its revenues for transportation, a seven-year, $99 million program of road improvements adopted in 1997.10
Another new tax, the “Transportation Authority Sales Tax” is also 1%, and may be imposed for up to 25
years for specified highway, street, and bridge projects. It, too, expires when its revenue target is reached.